Trades Alberta: High-school apprenticeship set hairstylist on her path to barbershop owner

Linda Ha works on Nov. 15, 2012, at her barbershop at #202, 10011 82nd Ave., in Edmonton. Ha started out as a hairstyling apprentice in high school in the late 1990s.

Photograph by: Jason Franson
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - When Linda Ha graduated from an Edmonton high school with a head start on hairstylist training, she was unsure how long she would stay in the industry.

But more than 10 years later, Ha is still at it, with a diverse resume that includes salon stylist, cruise ship barber, teacher — and now small business owner.

“Initially I thought this would be a great skill to have coming out of high school, but I wanted to maybe do something else after. But I kept getting busier and doors kept opening in different areas,” Ha said. “It’s been really diverse. There’s so many different avenues you can take.”

Ha entered the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), in which high school students learn a trade while earning high-school credits. Hairstylist is one of more than 50 trades students can choose from, as well as cook, electrician, machinist and roofer. In 2011, 1,514 high school students across Alberta worked with 1,020 employers.

Ha graduated from J. Percy Page in 1999 and apprenticed at a few salons, then worked as a licensed hairstylist.

“At first I was able to do a lot of hairstyling competitions, fashion shows and editorial work. From there I got to travel … and eventually I got to teach,” Ha said.

“There’s so many diverse options out there within the industry, and they’re not all behind the chair.”

Ha spent a year on a cruise ship in Mexico, a job that included three months of barber training in London, England, where she learned to cut men’s hair.

“That was in 2006 and I’ve been thinking about it since. I got back from the cruise ship, had a baby, went on maternity leave and taught for a bit, but in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to do something very men’s specific again.”

In June 2011, Ha opened Barber Ha, a small three-chair shop catering to men’s grooming in a neighbourhood strip mall in King Edward Park. Ha said she partly chose the small 500-square-foot space for its cheap rent, worried that the concept of a men’s-only grooming spot might not catch on in Edmonton.

But the shop, which Ha describes as a modern take on the barbershop experience, has been busy. This October, Barber Ha moved to an 1,800-square-foot Whyte Avenue location, to accommodate a growing clientele and staff of eight.

An ongoing challenge for Ha is finding qualified barbers, as hairstylist programs tend to focus on women’s hair and most apprentices work in salons with more female customers. Barbering is not a trade, so barbers often take additional courses and training after becoming licensed hairstylists.

“I’m realizing there’s a huge need for barbers,” Ha said.

Hairdressing seminars, business courses and outside advice, including hiring a business coach when the shop opened, helped Ha make the move to business owner.

“I enjoy work every day because I’ve created my own environment that is very comfortable to me,” Ha said. “I’ve been able to incorporate all the skills I’ve learned along the way in various jobs into my own business.”

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